GANGgajang live in the 702 Sessions

GANGgajang join the 702 Sessions with their timeless hit 'Sounds Of Then' which is commonly referred to as 'This Is Australia'.

GANGgajang was formed in 1984 when Mark Callaghan, previously of The Riptides, and Buzz Bidstrup and Chris Bailey formerly of The Angels, were commissioned to write songs for the ABC TV program Sweet & Sour.

With the addition of Geoffrey Stapleton on keyboards, guitar and artwork, and Robert James on lead guitar, GANGgajang became a live entity.

Mark Callaghan told Richard Glover about the "poem" that became a hit.

"The song started out as a poem."

"The story is all about when my family came to Australia. We migrated in 1972"

The lyrics originated when, at 15 he came from the wet dreary green fields of England and Ireland, and "watching them burn the cane and [I] smelt the humidity, and [watch] the amazing afternoon storms that would roll in," Mark explained.

"It's about how a song or a smell can re-invoke a time or a memory."

Listen to the full interview by following the audio link.

Mark then joined Robbie James and Buzz Bidstrup to reprise the hit live in the 702 Studio.